


Always Your Number Two

by Bow_Woww



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Compliant, Don't copy to another site, Friendship, M/M, Oneshot, POV Phichit Chulanont, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 14:17:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20047432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bow_Woww/pseuds/Bow_Woww
Summary: Phichit is happy for Yuuri and Victor, he really is, he just wishes that Yuuri could actually make time for him.





	Always Your Number Two

**Author's Note:**

> As a perpetually single person, I've just had it with never being anyone's priority, so I wrote a fic about it. I hate that our society values romantic relationships more than platonic ones. I don't actually think this is canon, but I had to torture Phichit a little bit because I feel like crap over being forgotten, dismissed, and just straight up ignored by friends because their romantic partners are more of a priority for them. I love my Yuuri and Phichit friendship so I had to write a happy ending, regardless of how it never actually works out that nice in real life.

Phichit awoke in the middle of the night to "Shall We Skate?" blaring from his phone. Even half asleep, he knew that ringtone. He pawed around blindly, not ready to open his eyes yet. Phichit managed to get ahold of the phone, and cracked one eye open just enough to answer the call.

"Yuuri?" he mumbled sleepily. "Are you ok?" 

"No!" the other voice wailed over the phone.

"What's wrong?" Phichit asked, suddenly feeling more awake with panic. He sat up, turning his light on in case he needed to grab something. He wasn't entirely sure what he would be able to do for his best friend, since he was in Bangkok and Yuuri was in Hasetsu, but he would do it anyway.

Yuuri made an incoherent sound, and Phichit heard shuffling in the background. It sounded like bed sheets rustling.

"Are you having bad anxiety dreams again?" Phichit guessed. The time difference was fairly minimal, so it was the middle of the night for Yuuri too. It was unfortunate that they didn't live together anymore, but at least the time difference wasn't too crazy. Phichit had been worried when Yuuri announced he was going back to Hasetsu. He had been having really bad nightmares about what happened at the GPF. 

"That's not it..." Yuuri muttered. 

"Then what's up?" Phichit asked with a yawn.

"It's Victor..." 

"What about him?"

"He's here!"

"He's where?"

"Here!" Yuuri replied frantically. "In Hasetsu! In our spare room!" 

Phichit gasped. "He's what?! Why?!"

"He says he's going to coach me!" Yuuri replied, and Phichit could practically picture him flopping down on his bed dramatically. "I've been freaking out all night." 

"Oh my god." 

"I know, right?" 

"Why? I mean, you're an amazing skater, don't get me wrong, but I thought you said Victor barely acknowledged you at the final?" Phichit questioned, a million thoughts going through his head. 

"Apparently," Yuuri responded, "he saw the video the triplets posted of me skating his routine and felt inspired or something? I don't know, it all sounds crazy to me! I'm nobody, why would he want to coach a loser like me?"

Phichit huffed. "Ok, you're not 'nobody', you're Japan's top skater, and one of the six best skaters in the world, according to the GPF standings."

Yuuri mumbled a half-hearted protest, but didn't argue with Phichit. He knew better than that. "I just can't believe he's here," Yuuri admitted.   
  
"Yeah, that's crazy! Having the star of all your dirtiest fantasies living in your house? Must be a dream come true!" 

"It's not like that!" Yuuri protested. "I just really like his skating."

"Don't bullshit me, Katsuki. We shared a wall." 

Yuuri groaned in embarrassment. "Why do I put up with you?"

"Because I'm your best friend and you love me!" Phichit replied cheerfully.

Yuuri laughed. "Yeah, both are true." He yawned. "Anyway, I should probably go to sleep. I'm going to the rink with Victor tomorrow and I need all of my energy to not spontaneously combust." 

Chuckling, Phichit responded, "Fair. Goodnight. Er, good morning." 

"Good morning to you, too. And say hi to Ciao Ciao for me."

"Will do."

There was a brief pause, and then Yuuri said, "Thanks for listening, Phichit." 

"Of course!" Phichit responded enthusiastically. "That's what best friends are for!" 

Yuuri chuckled, then ended the call. Phichit yawned, stretching out in his bed. He glanced at the clock, and realized he had to be up in about 2 hours for practice. Phichit turned the light off and tried to fall back asleep, but he wasn't successful. Usually, he didn't have problems sleeping, but he had experienced a bit of an adrenaline rush when Yuuri said he wasn't ok, and it seemed to be taking a while to wear off. 

After the first hour, he gave up on trying to sleep, and just played on his phone until his alarm went off. He felt sluggish all morning, dragging himself from room to room to get ready for practice. He had never really gotten a taste for coffee, but today he was kind of wishing he had after he almost put his shirt on inside-out. 

Even Celestino noticed how subdued he was, frowning and commenting on the shadows under his eyes. "I was up late talking to Yuuri," Phichit explained. His coach was well aware of his former student's night-owl tendencies. 

"Ah. And how is Yuuri?" 

"Er...he's dealing with some stuff," Phichit answered. Celestino could be a bit of a gossip when he drank (which was fairly often) so he didn't want to tell him about Victor and have news get out before Yuuri was ready. "He says hi, by the way."

Celestino smiled. "Next time you talk to him, you can tell him I say 'hi' back. I hope he's doing ok." 

"Me too," Phichit agreed, yawning for the umpteenth time that morning.

"Take it easy today, alright?" Celestino requested. "We don't need you getting hurt." He frowned.

"Yes coach," Phichit agreed easily. 

"Good. See you on the ice." 

Phichit nodded, then dragged himself into the locker room. He yawned again as he pulled out his skates. He loved Yuuri, and always wanted to be there when he needed him, but he couldn't help the slight prickle of irritation he felt over being woken up in the middle of the night to talk about Victor Nikiforov. Yuuri had really scared him with how frantic he sounded at the beginning of the call. He knew Yuuri's anxiety wasn't a rational thing, but he was a little too tired and irritable to keep himself from being annoyed. Oh well, as he had told Yuuri, that's what best friends were for, right? 

\-----------------

When Phichit found out both he and Yuuri had been assigned to the Cup of China, he was ecstatic. They hadn't seen each other in months, since Yuuri moved out of their shared apartment in Detroit. Sure, they had talked on the phone and Skyped, but it wasn't the same. He couldn't wait to see his best friend in person again. Phichit had so much to tell him! 

They had talked about meeting up somewhere, but Yuuri hadn't texted him to confirm their plans. In fact, Yuuri hadn't texted him in hours, and they hadn't been able to see each other at the press conference. Phichit just figured he was busy preparing for the competition (or trying to hide from everyone), so he was pleasantly surprised to find Yuuri and Victor seated at the restaurant he happened to walk in to. 

Yuuri's eyes lit up when he saw Phichit, and Phichit grinned in response. His grin only widened when he noticed how comfortable Yuuri seemed to be with Victor. Yuuri had, of course, explained their changing relationship to Phichit. That was prime best friend info! Still, it was one thing to hear about it, and another to see Yuuri looking so at ease in front of his idol. Phichit almost couldn't believe how casual Yuuri looked, considering he was sitting across from Victor Nikiforov. 

Truthfully, Phichit didn't know what came over him when he invited Celestino. Part of him really thought Yuuri might want to see his old coach again, but there was another, uglier part of him that was screaming that he had to stop himself from being a third wheel. He tried to shake that part off. Yuuri seemed so happy every time they talked about Victor. And oh, did they talk about Victor. In fact, Phichit couldn't remember the last time he and Yuuri had a conversation that didn't revolve around Victor. To be fair, that wasn't abnormal for Yuuri, since he'd been obsessed with Victor the entire time they'd known each other, but it felt very different now that Victor was here in the flesh. 

Since Victor and Celestino were apparently having a pissing match, that meant that Phichit got Yuuri to himself, at least for a little while. He playfully kicked Yuuri under the table, getting his attention. Yuuri turned away from his coach (boyfriend?) so he could look at Phichit.   
  
"I've missed you!" Phichit said with a grin.

Yuuri nodded in agreement. "Me too. I miss our crappy little apartment." 

Phichit laughed. "I don't miss the cold, though. It's nice to be back somewhere that doesn't feel like Winterfell for half the year." 

"Very true," Yuuri agreed. "I'm glad you were able to find us."

"So am I! I was worried we wouldn't get to see each other before the competition," Phichit admitted. 

"Sorry," Yuuri apologized. "Victor dragged me off to some convenience store the second we got here to get candy. Then he dragged me off here right after the press conference."

Phichit suppressed the urge to ask why Yuuri couldn't have just sent off a brief text to tell him that. He was probably just too excited about being out and about with Victor. New relationships were always so exciting, and time-consuming. Even if his friend wouldn't admit it, Phichit had no doubt they were a couple. 

"It worked out!" Phichit said cheerfully, the brief irritation already forgotten. Here he was in China, with his best friend, who was being wooed by the man of his dreams, while they both worked to qualify for the GPF. He couldn't have been angry even if he wanted to be. 

"It did," Yuuri agreed. "So, is it nice being home?"

Phichit grinned. "It's great! You'll have to visit--"

Phichit was cut off by the sound of two glasses being slammed down on the table. Victor and Celestino were glaring at each other, and Victor wrapped an arm possessively around Yuuri. He didn't know what they were arguing about, but clearly, Yuuri was the subject. 

"Um," Yuuri said awkwardly. 

Phichit winced. "Uhhh Yuuri, weren't you telling me about renovations at Ice Castle? Ciao Ciao, you have to listen to this story!" He tried to diffuse the tension.

Yuuri blinked at him, looking confused. Phichit just gave him a look, trying to get Yuuri to change the subject. Yuuri finally seemed to get the hint. "Oh! Right. Yeah, let me tell you about the crazy thing my friend's triplets did while they were doing some renovations at the rink." 

Yuuri told the story, and Phichit sighed in relief when both Victor and Celestino seemed to relax a bit, chuckling at the antics of the Nishigori triplets. They both kept drinking, and as the night went on, the anger seemed to fade into laughter, and Phichit was once again able to get some of Yuuri's attention. Except, now that attention was being split between him and an increasingly drunk Russian skating legend. 

"So I'm at the vet with Arthur, terrified because he hadn't moved all day, and then they pulled a magnet out of his cheek pouch! I don't even know where he got a magnet! Maybe my sister?" Phichit laughed. "I thought my hamster was dying, but he just had a magnet in his mouth and was magnetized to the metal cage. How ridiculous is that?" 

Phichit finished his story, but realized that Yuuri hadn't heard a word of it. He was too busy fussing over Victor, laughing at something the Russian was doing. Victor was very obviously inebriated, his face flushed from the alcohol. He was leaning heavily on Yuuri, flirting and whispering endearments that made Yuuri blush. 

Phichit couldn't help the stab of hurt he felt. The first time he saw Yuuri in months, and he couldn't even keep his friend's attention. He shook it off. Yuuri was just excited, and Victor was drunk. He couldn't be upset about not being the center of Yuuri's universe. Especially not when his friend looked so disgustingly happy. He had Victor Nikiforov literally falling all over him, it was understandable if he was a little distracted. 

So, Phichit just smiled, and watched Yuuri get fawned over by his childhood crush. He kept trying to restart the conversation, but Yuuri would get distracted halfway through by Victor. Eventually, he just gave up and laughed (only slightly bitterly) as Victor stripped in the middle of the restaurant, scaring poor Leo and Guang Hong. 

\-----------------

He won! He got a gold medal at a GPF qualifying competition! Phichit grinned from his spot atop the podium, laughing when Yuuri gave him a thumbs up from the step below him. Yuuri still looked pretty dazed himself, and how could he not, after such a big public declaration! Phichit was proud to say that he got almost the whole thing on video. As soon as Victor had started running, Phichit had whipped his phone out and livestreamed it. He would fight anyone that said it was just a hug. He had the video evidence to prove otherwise, with a better angle from his spot in the competitor's area. Of course, his video of the kiss also had him frantically squealing and cheering. 

Everything after the medal ceremony passed in a blur. Phichit remembered the flash of cameras, the cheers of the audience, and Yuuri hugging him tightly. They made their way to the press conference together, until Victor swooped in and pulled Yuuri aside. Yuuri didn't reappear until right before the press conference began, and he looked incredibly flustered. Phichit smirked, looking forward to grilling his friend for details later at their traditional post-competition dinner. 

Yuuri took his place next to Phichit, Chris on his other side. Phichit couldn't suppress the grin on his face. This was his biggest win, and he couldn't wait to talk about how he had been inspired by "The King and the Skater", and how he hoped he made Thailand proud. 

With all three medalists in place, the circus begun. The first reporter asked, "Mr. Katsuki, can you elaborate on your relationship with your coach, Victor Nikiforov?"

Yuuri blushed, and Phichit rolled his eyes. Of course they would ask about that before talking about actual skating. "Er, no comment," Yuuri mumbled. 

The next reporter wasn't discouraged. "Mr. Katsuki, how long have you and Mr. Nikiforov been hiding your relationship?" 

Yuuri frowned. "That's not...I mean, no comment." 

"Was this a publicity stunt?"

"Can you lay the rumors to rest? Was it a kiss, or a hug?" 

"Why exactly did Victor Nikiforov decide to coach you?" 

"How does the ISU feel about your coach's behavior today?" 

Phichit and Chris exchanged a look, while Yuuri looked completely overwhelmed. Asking one or two questions was one thing, but the reporters were now yelling and trying to wave Yuuri down, hoping for a statement. 

Couldn't they give it a rest? Did the press really care more about Yuuri and Victor's romance than the actual competition? Phichit frowned, both at the thought, and at how panicked Yuuri looked. He decided to try and help his friend out.

Phichit cleared his throat into the mic, and dozens of eyes fell on him. "Perhaps we could talk about ice skating at the ice skating competition?" He asked cheerfully, a carefully placed smile stretched across his face.

There were murmurs of laughter in the crowd, and then Yuuri mumbled into the mic, "Phichit's right. I won't be answering any questions about my personal life." Yuuri sent him a grateful look, and Phichit winked at him.

Phichit leaned into the mic. "Instead, let me tell you all what inspired my programs this year!" 

He could see Celestino facepalming in the crowd, but it seemed to have worked to get the press off Yuuri's back and talking about skating again. Phichit sighed as Chris took his turn. As happy as he was for his best friend, it would be nice to go two minutes without hearing about their relationship. He felt like it was all he and Yuuri had talked about for months. Phichit suppressed a frown. Come to think of it, it _was_ all he and Yuuri had talked about. Whenever Phichit would try to bring up another subject, something would remind him of Victor, and he'd tell another story about his coach. Phichit supposed he couldn't blame Yuuri. He was living the dream, getting coached (and courted!) by his long time idol and love interest. 

Fortunately, the rest of the press conference was uneventful, and they actually stuck to asking questions about skating. Once the conference was over and the three medalists descended back into the crowd, Phichit immediately pulled Yuuri into a victory selfie. Yuuri shook his head fondly, but complied. 

As Phichit was picking out the perfect filter, Victor approached them, gently wrapping an arm around Yuuri. Yuuri blushed, and Phichit grinned, snapping a quick photo. He uploaded that one to Instagram too, right after his and Yuuri's selfie. 

"Phichit!" Yuuri protested.

"Yuuri!" Phichit mocked playfully. "I have to document this! You guys are so cute!" he said genuinely. 

Yuuri, as expected, flushed at the comment. Victor just beamed, pulling Yuuri a little closer. 

"Mr. Nikiforov," Phichit addressed Victor, in mock seriousness, "I expect you to take good care of my best friend."

Victor laughed. "I will, I promise." 

Yuuri squeaked in embarrassment, and Phichit grinned at him. "So! Where should we go for our celebratory dinner?" He smirked at Victor. "Care for a round two of drinks with Celestino?" 

Victor and Yuuri exchanged a look, and Phichit's smile faltered. "Er...actually, we were planning on just ordering room service together," Yuuri admitted. 

"Oh..." Phichit deflated, but quickly grinned again to cover it up. "That's alright, we could have a celebratory breakfast tomorrow instead. What time is your flight?" 

"Not until the afternoon, so we'd have time," Victor explained. 

"Mine's early. If you're ok waking up, you could meet me for breakfast at 6?" Phichit offered. 

"Yeah, we could do that," Yuuri agreed. Phichit knew he wasn't a morning person, so he appreciated that Yuuri was willing to make the effort. 

"Great. See you then!" He grinned mischievously. "Have fun tonight, and don't do anything I wouldn't do!" 

Both Victor and Yuuri blushed, and Yuuri muttered, "So then nothing's off the table..."

The couple waved goodbye to Phichit, then retreated to their room. Phichit's smile dropped as soon as they were out of sight. It felt so stupid, and juvenile, to be jealous of Victor, but he was absolutely jealous. Not romantically, of course. His love for Yuuri was aggressively platonic. Still, he couldn't help but feel hurt about how little time his best friend had actually bothered to spend with him after months apart. He and Victor saw each other everyday! Phichit understood that they wanted to celebrate, or consumate, their new relationship, but they couldn't wait until after dinner? Phichit didn't know when he'd get to see Yuuri again, and their conversations had become increasingly one-sided lately. He couldn't help the sadness and frustration that was building up. He'd never expected Yuuri to be one of those people that ditched their friends when they got into a new relationship. 

Phichit shook his head. No, Yuuri wasn't like that. Phichit was just being dramatic. Of course Yuuri was excited, he was (officially?) dating Victor Nikiforov! Everything would calm down once some of the new relationship glow wore off. 

"I see we've both been abandoned," a heavily accented voice purred beside him.

Phichit turned, smiling at Chris. "Yeah, looks like it. Do you have any plans?" 

Chris shook his head. "I was going to see if Victor wanted to catch up, but it seems he's occupied," The Swiss shrugged. "We could go to a fancy restaurant and lament being abandoned by our closest friends," Chris offered, holding a hand to his head dramatically.

Phichit laughed. "Sure, that sounds great." They went to dinner, along with their coaches, and ended up having a great time. It wasn't the same as Phichit and Yuuri's traditional celebratory dinners, but Chris was good company. It still stung that Yuuri would so casually toss their tradition aside, but he felt in much better spirts after hanging out with Chris.

Or at least, he did, until he showed up for breakfast the next morning, and Yuuri and Victor did not. He checked out, and sipped on some tea while he waited. They probably just slept in and were running late. Yuuri hated getting up early on a good day, let alone when he was probably getting it good all night. Phichit sent a quick text asking if they were on their way, but he didn't get a response.

Celestino eventually stopped by, giving him a 10 minute warning. Phichit gave up on waiting, piling his plate with food so he could scarf it all down before leaving for the airport. Still no text, and still no Yuuri. 

With a final forlorn glance at the elevator, Phichit followed Celestino out of the hotel and into their cab. He felt incredibly hurt, and was trying very hard not to feel bitter about Yuuri's new relationship. It was Yuuri's deepest fantasy, Phichit couldn't be upset about him getting to live it. At least, he was trying not to be upset. 

Right before they boarded their plane, Yuuri texted him back.

Yuuri: I'm so sorry! We overslept! 

Phichit: Up too late? ;)

He responded with a joke, because that's what he always did, even though he wasn't feeling particularly comical.

Yuuri: Well...

Phichit: Omg. I'm so proud.

It wasn't a lie, he was proud. And he was so happy for Yuuri, he was also just feeling a little abandoned. 

Yuuri: I'm really sorry we missed you. Skype you tonight to make up for it?

Phichit: Sure. I need details!

Yuuri: NO

It was probably his own fault, he kept asking about Victor. And he liked Victor. Sure, he'd admired him as a skater, but nowhere near Yuuri's level. As far as Phichit was concerned, he was just Yuuri's Victor, and he liked Yuuri's Victor just fine. He seemed to push Yuuri when he needed it, and was obviously smitten with his best friend. They were a good match, and he wanted Yuuri to know that Phichit supported them.

Phichit: Haha ok. Talk to you later? 

Yuuri: Yeah. Have a safe flight!

Phichit: You too!

The flight was, thankfully, uneventful. Phichit had the rest of the day off, so he goofed around with his hamsters and played video games until Yuuri called him. When his laptop lit up with the Skype notification, Phichit grinned, accepting the call. Yuuri and Victor's faces filled the screen. Victor was leaning his head on Yuuri's shoulder, their hands intertwined. 

It was very cute, and Phichit did coo at them, but he had to admit that he was hoping to actually talk to his best friend alone. Yuuri kept getting distracted by Victor, pausing to make goo-goo eyes at him. It was sweet, but Phichit also felt very much like a third wheel. It was awkward, which was weird because he could never remember ever feeling awkward with Yuuri. In fact, it was awkward enough that Phichit feigned exhaustion and ended the call early. Yuuri didn't seem to care, as he was quick to agree to end it, already leaning into kiss Victor before the call cut off. 

Phichit sighed, and tried to push away the growing discontent. It was just temporary, just the honeymoon phase, right?

\-----------------

Phichit frowned as he scrolled through Instagram, noticing Victor's picture of a selfie with him, Yuuri, and Chris. Yuuri's hair was mussed with sleep, and Victor and Chris still looked damp from when they had been in the pool (Phichit followed their adventure on Instagram). Based on this picture, Yuuri was obviously awake, but he still hadn't texted him back. They had promised to go sightseeing together, but Yuuri had stopped responding to his texts shortly before they were supposed to meet up. Clearly, he'd been asleep, and Phichit couldn't fault him for that, but he was frustrated that his friend hadn't texted him now that he was awake. 

With a sigh, Phichit continued his own sightseeing journey. It wasn't the same, but he wasn't going to let himself just sit around and mope while he was in Barcelona for the biggest competition of his career. He had fun, and when he saw Yuuri, he managed to not act annoyed that his friend had bailed on him. Yuuri explained, with a blush, that after Chris left they had "lost track of time". Phichit knew what that was code for. 

After their shared practice on the ice, Phichit barely caught up to Yuuri and Victor as they were leaving. "Hey! Do you guys wanna check out the city? I didn't get to see everything when I was out before."

"Oh, um, actually Victor and I were going to go sightseeing together," Yuuri said. 

Phichit tried not to let his smile falter. "Alright. Maybe later then?"

Yuuri nodded. "Yeah, maybe later." He looked apologetic. "Sorry, it's just, this might be our only chance to explore Barcelona together."

The corner of Phichit's mouth twitched. "Right. Have fun then!" he replied, a little too forcefully. Sure, this was a super romantic destination, and yes it could be their only chance to explore the city together, but it was Yuuri and Phichit's only chance too! Yuuri and Victor would probably take plenty of romantic couple's trips together to other exciting destinations, but what were the chances that Yuuri and Phichit would take exciting best friend trips together? Probably not likely. Couldn't Yuuri at least split his time? 

Phichit sighed, and went back out into the city to solo sightsee. A few hours later, when he got a text from Yuuri, he was initially excited, until he realized that the entire men's singles group (minus JJ--thank god) were invited too. Not that hanging out with a group was a problem, he was still just hoping to spend some time with his best friend that didn't include Yuuri's boyfriend, 3 other people, his sister, or his childhood dance instructor.

Of course, the evening took a turn when everyone noticed Victor and Yuuri's matching rings. All of Phichit's frustration was momentarily forgotten, as he freaked out over the fact that Yuuri was going to marry Victor Nikiforov! That was amazing news, and by the time JJ crashed their party, Phichit's face hurt from smiling. 

However, on his walk back to the hotel, when he watched Yuuri and Victor link arms and giggle in front of him, he couldn't help but feel the same pang of sadness and frustration that he'd been dealing with for months over Victor and Yuuri's relationship. He quickly pushed the feeling away. He couldn't be bitter over his best friend marrying his dream guy, that wasn't fair. Afterall, he was absolutely the captain of the Victuuri fan club, and already self proclaimed Best Man. He wasn't allowed to be even the tiniest bit bitter, even if it did feel like Yuuri was going to have even less time for Phichit now.

\-----------------

"So, do any of those dates work for me to come visit? I still can't believe I haven't actually been to your house!" 

Yuuri hummed, reading over the dates on his end of the screen. "No, sorry. We have a bunch of wedding planning stuff that first week, an ice show the week of the 12th, and then Victor and I are going to visit some of his family in Russia that next month." 

Phichit sighed. "Maybe you should just pick a date for me then. You keep rejecting all the ones I pick."

Yuuri winced. "I know, I'm sorry! Victor and I are just really busy--"

"With the wedding planning, I know. Didn't he say you're not getting married until you with 5 gold medals or something, anyway?" 

"That was a joke." Yuuri shook his head. "I thought he was serious at first too."

"Ah," Phichit commented dully. 

Yuuri looked at his calendar, then asked, "What about the the second week in June?" 

Phichit shook his head. "I have a training camp. I could come the week after?"

"That might work. I'll just have to see what Victor is doing." 

Phichit held back a groan. Of course, he had to check with Victor first. The last date they had agreed on had ended up vetoed by Victor at the last minute because he decided to surprise Yuuri with a short vacation. Phichit had lied and told Yuuri he hadn't already bought his plane tickets, so Yuuri wouldn't feel bad about Phichit not getting his money back. 

"Right. Better check with Victor to see if something better is going on," Phichit snapped without thinking.

Yuuri gaped at him. "What?" 

"Nothing. Just check the date and let me know," Phichit tried to hide his slip up.

"Phichit..."

"What, Yuuri?" Phichit asked, more irritable than he meant to. He winced, and took a deep breath to calm down.

"Somethings wrong," Yuuri stated. He didn't need to ask, he knew Phichit wasn't acting like himself. 

"Nothings wrong. Just ask your fiance if he can spare you." So much for calming down. 

Yuuri stared at him for a few moments, eyes wide. "Can you just tell me what's wrong?" he pleaded. "You're my best friend, you can tell me anything."

Phichit finally snapped. "Am I?"

"Of course you are!" Yuuri responded desperately. "Why would you think otherwise?"

"You haven't exactly been acting like I'm your best friend lately," Phichit grumbled. 

"What do you mean? I don't understand."

"Seriously?" Phichit huffed. "Have you really not noticed?"

"Noticed what? Phichit, just tell me what's going on!" Yuuri begged. 

"What's going on is that you don't seem to have room in your life for anyone but Victor anymore!" Phichit yelled, immediately slapping a hand over his mouth. 

Yuuri gaped at him. "That's not true," Yuuri protested quietly. 

Phichit laughed dryly. "Are you sure? You hardly ever call me, I have to call you, and when I do, Victor is almost always in the room with you. You blew me off and forgot to text me at the Cup of China and the GPF. You're blowing me off now, for something that Victor may or may not plan. Victor is basically all you ever talk about. Do you even know anything about what's happening in my life right now?" He sniffled, tears forming in his eyes. "Do you even have time for me anymore?" Phichit was not a crier, so he knew that Yuuri understood how upset he was.

Yuuri was crying too. "Phichit, I'm so sorry! I've been a horrible friend!" he sobbed. "I didn't mean to make you feel like that!" 

"I know," Phichit said honestly, still crying. "I know that's not the kind of person you are. But it's been happening anyway."

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." 

Phichit just nodded, frantically wiping away his own tears. 

They both cried themselves out, then Yuuri said, "I've never had a relationship before. I think I just got caught up in everything." He sniffled. "Now that I think about it...you're right. Victor has been my priority for months, and I'm sorry. I didn't even realize what I was doing, I just wanted to spend as much time with him as possible."

"I know," Phichit repeated. "You're so happy together, and you deserve that happiness. I don't want you to think that I'm not happy or supportive, because I am. I just...I want to be included in your life too."

"You will be," Yuuri promised. "This is new to me, balancing a relationship like this, but I want to get better at it. I will get better at it." Yuuri had that stubborn look in his eye.

"You promise?" Phichit asked hopefully.

Yuuri nodded. "Yes. I'm going to set aside to call you, and you're going to come and visit and I'm going to make Victor stay home."

"He doesn't always have to stay home. I like Victor," Phichit said honestly, "and I know that he's important to you. I don't want you to have to give him up for me either. Just...maybe a little more balance, please?"

"I can do that," Yuuri agreed. "I'm really sorry, Phichit. Are we ok?"

Phichit looked at Yuuri's sad, open expression and responded, "Yeah. We're ok." He smiled gently.

Yuuri returned the smile, wiping away the last of his tears. Finally, it felt like Phichit had his best friend back.

**Author's Note:**

> Please tell me if I need to add tags. I'm terrible at tagging.


End file.
